Mid 2000s AMG SL65 for under $50k yay or nay?

[Contempt]

Seems too good to be true..

https://carbuzz.com/mercedes-amg-sl65-v12-sports-car-affordable/

View attachment 1097375

I REALLY have an urge to get an impractical sports car in the next year or two. I'm ok with getting something used and dealing with maintenance costs.. but this looks like it could be a money pit.

I have heard that Porsches are surprisingly reliable, I might go that route.

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Thots?

You won't go wrong with Porsches. Brilliant cars.

 

[Contempt]

Yea, I always would have the option to get an M3/4 from BMW as I already have a relationship with the dealership and they'd hook me up but I'm really interested in seeing with these AMG coupes or Porsches are about.

I wouldn't be able to get a new 911 but I could get a new Cayman easily. My issue with that is I believe a new Cayman would actually be slower than my current M340i - but most likely handles better. With that in mind I'd feel better just getting a used 911.

Depends on which Cayman you get... Mine, no. A GT4 or GT4 RS no.

Straight line speed isn't the point of the Cayman, but some of them are still pretty damn quick.

I'm waiting for the new 992 911 GTS to be available, then buying a 991 GTS... I LOVE that car, brilliant to drive.

 

[jefferz]

Go for a new Beemer M2. They’re around 65k with some extra options, have the same engine as the M4 (S58) and are detuned from the factory and are safely capable of making much more power cheaply if you want to go that route.


50k means you’re already close enough. Just spend a little more and you can get something brand new that has and insane amount of potential or crazy fun as is stock.


IMO opinion the new M2 is the best bang for the buck for these types of cars.


View attachment 1097407

If you have something like the SL65, you should have a pretty good chunk of change set aside to fix any problems. And they're not going to be cheap. It's not hard to hit a $10k repair bill on a car like that.

When you factor that in, the M2 looks a lot more appealing.

 

[Legumes]

Considering the repair bills I've seen for more pedestrian Mercedes models, I would avoid that car like it was carrying the plague. I'm doubting a V12 model Mercedes has very wallet-friendly labor times for even simple jobs. That engine has to be absolutely packed in there...

 

[mixmastermo]

I made an update to OP

Here's my practical year round road bike - pic taken on the day I got it. I've since changed the tires and added a GPS, headlight, and tailight/radar. I do have a racier saddle, but I'm keeping that on my fast bike right now.



Pic of fast bike coming later, but this is the model in case anyone is curious



Here's the actual bike

 

[Romulas]

Seems too good to be true..

https://carbuzz.com/mercedes-amg-sl65-v12-sports-car-affordable/

View attachment 1097375

I REALLY have an urge to get an impractical sports car in the next year or two. I'm ok with getting something used and dealing with maintenance costs.. but this looks like it could be a money pit.

I have heard that Porsches are surprisingly reliable, I might go that route.

Fahrzeughistorien für Autos aus EU & USA

CARFAX ist ein internationaler Anbieter von Gebrauchtwagenhistorien für einen sicheren Gebrauchtwagenhandel. ✓Sicher kaufen ✓Lukrativ verkaufen ✓Importcheck

www.carfax.com

Thots?




*****UPDATE JULY 5TH 2025*****

I put a set of new tires of my car and it feels great to drive again. I don't feel like buying a car anymore.

What I ended up doing was getting into cycling again. I ended up getting 2 road bikes- an all rounder for commuting and for use all year round, and a race ready carbon bike.

Hopefully it'll get my mind off of sports cars for a bit.

If budget is under 50k the hands down best sports car is the Porsche Cayman S.

Your cost per mile to drive is lower than anything else the has comparable looks and they're bomb proof till around 80k miles.

 

[Romulas]

Depends on which Cayman you get... Mine, no. A GT4 or GT4 RS no.

Straight line speed isn't the point of the Cayman, but some of them are still pretty damn quick.

I'm waiting for the new 992 911 GTS to be available, then buying a 991 GTS... I LOVE that car, brilliant to drive.

The Cayman is Porsche's best platform dollar for dollar.

I wish I was a little shorter so I could fit in one. I've wanted to do a Cayman S build for a long time. As far as 911s, I have a 991.2 gt3rs. Going to add a manual 997.2 4s next.

 

[GhostZ06]

A thot also told me Porsches are reliable.

they are probably the most reliable out of BMW, merc, audi. Merc are kinda of pieces of shit and are the worst on maintenance.

I think you have to remove a lot of stuff just to change spark plugs

 

[Possum Jenkins]

If I had $40k-something and wanted a used, European sports car, I'd get a 2015-2020 BMW M4

 

[GhostZ06]

If I had $40k-something and wanted a used, European sports car, I'd get a 2015-2020 BMW M4

Again the repairs on this shit are fucking stupid. God forbid the Germans make a car that easy to maintain and mechanic friendly

 

[mixmastermo]

Again the repairs on this shit are fucking stupid. God forbid the Germans make a car that easy to maintain and mechanic friendly

This is a common misconception-

It's really easy to throw out a blanket term like "German cars are unreliable and expensive to fix"

It is true that they can be more expensive to fix when you compare them to something like a Hyundai, Honda, or Mazda, but if you stay on top of the maintenance the issues should be minimal.

BMWs, M models in particular are built differently- they have odd quirks like putting sensors underneath the floor, electronic systems in doors, batteries in the trunk, etc. Your local mechanic might complain about stuff like that when it needs to be serviced, but when you're actually driving the car you'll quickly understand that they drive and handle much differently than say, a Lexus or Infiniti.

Moral of the story: stay on top of the maintenance. Include it in your budget so you don't suffer any catastrophic breakdowns.

 

[Brampton_Boy]

How about the Lexus SC430? V8 and almost bulletproof.

 

[Brom Bones]

Seems too good to be true..

https://carbuzz.com/mercedes-amg-sl65-v12-sports-car-affordable/

View attachment 1097375

I REALLY have an urge to get an impractical sports car in the next year or two. I'm ok with getting something used and dealing with maintenance costs.. but this looks like it could be a money pit.

I have heard that Porsches are surprisingly reliable, I might go that route.

Fahrzeughistorien für Autos aus EU & USA

CARFAX ist ein internationaler Anbieter von Gebrauchtwagenhistorien für einen sicheren Gebrauchtwagenhandel. ✓Sicher kaufen ✓Lukrativ verkaufen ✓Importcheck

www.carfax.com

Thots?




*****UPDATE JULY 5TH 2025*****

I put a set of new tires of my car and it feels great to drive again. I don't feel like buying a car anymore.

What I ended up doing was getting into cycling again. I ended up getting 2 road bikes- an all rounder for commuting and for use all year round, and a race ready carbon bike.

Hopefully it'll get my mind off of sports cars for a bit.

 

[chardog]

Old folks car, i think MBZ is a dying brand, the days of it wooing folks are slowly going away. Bmw seems like the only German survivor